Welding electrode and method of manufacturing the same



July 10, 1934. c. B. LANGSTROTH ET AL 7 WELDING ELECTRODE AND METHOD OFMANUFACTURING THE SAME Original Filed 001;. 24. 1931 .Mar 0- BY Ear M 1-Patented July 10, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WELDING ELECTRODE ANDMETHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME Clifford B. Langstroth, Plainfield, N.J., and Edwin M, Martin, New York, N. Y.

Original application October 24, 1931, SerialNo.

14 Claims.

This invention relates to weld rods and particularly to improvements inwelding electrodes and the method of manufacturing the same.

An object is to provide an electrode of the character described whichwill be characterized by a maximum degree of toughness, durability andflexibility.

A further object is to provide a novel electrode of the characterdescribed which will comprise a 1 material adapted to efiiciently servethe desired purpose of protecting the fused metal of the weld whilebeing relatively inexpensive.

Other and further objects of and advantages achieved by the instantinvention will be seen by the following detailed description.

In the practice of welding by a weld rod electrode, as is well known inthe art, a metallic electrode or weld rod is held a short distance fromthe metal parts to be joined and an electric current is passed throughthe rod and the metal parts to be joined, forming an are between the rodand the metal parts. The arc melts or fuses the parts where they are tobe joined as well as the rod, and the fused metal from the lattersupplies the necessary additional metal for the joint. In this operationspecial difficulties are met with in that certain constituents of theatmosphere, more particularly oxygen and nitrogen, effect a chemicalreaction with the molten metal, which results in an impairment in thequality of the weld. In common practice it has been found desirable toprovide means for shielding the arc and area where the molten metal isdeposited, during the welding operation, from the atmosphere so as toavoid the aforesaid undesirable influences there- Heretofore solidmetallic rods have been employed and the shielding has been accomplishedin divers .ways. The most commonly used method of shielding employs aweld rod comprising a solid metal core provided with a coatingcontaining material which during the welding operation disintegrates andvaporizes, the vapors surrounding the arc and the area where the moltenmetal is deposited, and providing a protective envelope against theatmosphere. While such method and weld rods have been found practicaland efficient, the present invention provides a novel and improved rodwhich also accomplishes practical and efficient results, while at thesame time being simpler and less expensive to manufacture. It will beunderstood that in this description and in the appended claims where theword electrode is used it is intended to mean a weld rod electrode.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a weld rod electrode embodying thepresent invention; Fig. 2 is a cross section of the electrode of Fig. 1;and Fig. 3 is an elevation showing a part of the weld rod during awelding operation, with the metal parts being welded shown in section,an are being indicated by brokenilines, and protective vapors beingindicated by curved lines.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the rod 1 of the present inventionis made of a heterogeneous composition containing the desired metallicelements to be fused with the metal parts to be welded, preferably ingranular form, and a mixture of materials for regulating the arc and forproviding a protective vapor, through which the arc will pass, and whichvapor will insulate the molten metal of the weld from the atmosphereduring a welding operation.

It is also a part of the present invention to employ thedesiredmetallicelements of the electrode in shredded form, so that the elements willhave a tendency to engage each other and the other substances of therod, thereby making for a go sturdy construction. The employment of themetallic elements in either granular or shredded form in the manufactureof the rod facilitates the proper combining of different metals for therod, when desirable, as where alloys are being 35 welded.

The base of the mixture with which the metallic elements of theelectrode are incorporated is a carbo-hydrate material, which in thepreferred form of the invention is a cellulose, speciflcally wood,indicated in the drawing by the numeral 2. It will be understood,however, that any suitable carbo-hydrate material may be employed.Heretofore, such cellulosic materials have been employed in weld rodcoatings in granular form. The presentinvention in its preferred formdeparts from this practice and employs an improvement, hereinafterdescribed with regard to theform of the cellulosic material, whichconstitutes another feature of the present invention. The severalcomponent parts of the electrode of the present invention are mixedtogether in a heterogeneous mass while in a plastic state and thereuponmoulded into rodform.

In a prior co-pending application Serial No. 570,834, filed October 24',1931, by the applicants herein, since matured into Patent No. 1,930,649,dated Oct. 17, 1933, of which prior application the present applicationis a division, there is described and illustrated an improved electricweld 1 rod employing a novel material for producing, among otherresults, the desired protective vapors hereinbefore mentioned. Thismaterial constitutes a cellulosic substance in the shredded form. In theinstant invention, likewise, the preferred embodiment employs thiscellulosic material in shredded form. The shreds, indicated in thedrawing by the numeral 2, are evenly mixed throughout the compositionand provide the highly desirable property of producing the protectivegas as well as serving to better hold the composition together, and tomake for an especially tough and durable rod. Further, such material hasthe important advantageous property of being inexpensive and easy tomanufacture. It is to be understood, however, that the presentinvention, in its broad aspect, is not limited to this feature of theimproved carbo-hydrate material, but that any suitable material in anysuitable form such as granulated or comminuted may be employed.

To act as a binder for the materials comprised in the rod, silicate ofsoda is employed as one of the chief ingredients. The silicate of sodaalso serves to quiet the arc and to refine the' There may be furtherintroduced into the mixthe welding opture a hydro-carbon oil, preferablyof the non-.

drying variety such as peanut oil. This ingredient is advantageous inthat it makes for a more flexible rod, so that the rod, when necessary,may be curved or bent without cracking or crumbling.

I In an approved embodiment of the invention the proportionate amountsof the ingredients comprised in the rod are as follows:

Metallic elementsparts; shredded wood-- 10 parts; silicate of soda-3parts; silico-manganese-l part; peanut oil-l part. These materials, asaforesaid, are mixed together while in a plastic state and the mass ismoulded into the desired rod shape by passing the same through a stuifchest, the rod being thereupon baked or dried to the desired hardness.The stufi chest may be of any well-known construction such as forinstance, that shown in Patent No. 1,347,184, issued to R. S. Smith,July 20, 1920.

The improved method of manufacturing a weld rod electrode comprisesfirst, mixing the metallic elements together with the vapor producingmaterials, the binder and any other desired materials, this'mixing beingdone while the ingredients are in the form of a plastic heterogeneousmass; then passing through a stuff chest, of any usual type, to mouldthe ingredients into rod form; and then baking or drying the rod to thedesired toughness or hardness. There will be thus produced an efiicientand durable rod which while simple and relatively inexpensive tomanufacture will be characterized by strength and flexibility.

In the use of the rod of the present invention, as illustrated in Fig. 3of the drawing, when the rod 1 is properly connected above the meta pa s3 and 4, to be. welded together, and current is passed through the rodand parts, an arc indicated by the broken lines 5 will be produced, andat the same time the heat of the arc and of the weld rod will eiiect adisintegration and vaporization of the cellulosic material at the end ofthe rod, the vapor passing downward from the end of the rod to theparts3 and 4, as indicated by the lines 6, and producing a gaseous zonethrough which the arc passes, and which completely surrounds the arc andthe area where the molten metal is being deposited, thereby protectingthe molten metal and the weld from the atmosphere and its deterioratinginfluences during the welding operation.

While there has been hereinbefore described certain specific ingredientsand definite proportions of ingredients for the weld rod of the instantinvention, it will be understood that the present invention is notlimited to the use of all the ingredients or to the specific ingredientsdescribed, or to the proportions specified, but that various selectionsof the ingredients, or any like substances having similar properties,may be employed in any suitable proportions, and that all and anychanges and modifications of the hereinbefore described preferred formof the invention as fall within the scope of the appended claims, arecontemplated as a part of the present invention.

The invention claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. An electrode for electric arc welding comprising a mass of metallicelements; and a material for producing a protective vapor mixed withsaid metallic elements and bound therewith.

2. An electrode for electric arc welding comprising a mass of comminutedmetallic elements; and a material for producing a protective vapor mixedwith said metallic elements and bound therewith.

3. An electrode for electric arc welding comprising comminuted metallicelements; and a material for producing a protective vapor mixed withsaid metallic elements and bound therewith, said material being inashredded form.

4. An electrode for electric arc welding comprising a mass of metallicelements; a material for producing a protective vapor, either saidelements, said material, or both, being in a shredded form; and a binderholding said elements and material together.

5. An electrode for electric arc welding comprising a mass of metallicelements; an oxide reducing material mixed therewith; and a bindingmaterial holding said elements and material together. V

6. An electrode for electric arc welding comprising a mass of metallicelements; and a mass of solid carbo-hydrate elements for producing aprotective vapor mixed with said metallic elements and bound therewith.

7. An electrode for electric arc welding comprising a mass formed as arod, including metallic elements; and silico manganese.

8. An electrode for electric arc welding comprising a mass formed as arod, including metallic elements; cellulosic material in shredded form;sodium silicate; and silico manganese.

9. The method of manufacturing arc welding electrodes which comprisesmixing together inetallic elements, a carbo-hyd ate material and abinder into a plastic heterogeneous mass; moulding said mass into rodform; and heating said rod to the desired toughness.

10. The method of manufacturing arc welding electrodes which comprisesmixing metallic elements with a cellulosic material; moulding saidelements and material into rod form; and

treating said rod to produce a desired toughness thereof.

11. The method of manufacturing arc welding electrodes which comprisesmixing metallic elements with a cellulosic material and sodium silicate;moulding said elements and material into rod form; and treating said rodto produce a desired toughness thereof.

12. The-method of manufacturing arc welding electrodes which comprisesmixing metallic elements with a cellulosic material and silicomanganese; mouldingsaid elements and material into rod form; andtreating said rod to produce a desired toughness thereof.

13. The method of manufacturing arc welding electrodes which comprisesmixing metallic elements with a cellulosic material and a substantiallynon-drying hydro-carbon oil; moulding said elements and material intorod form; and treating said rod to produce a desired toughness thereof.

14. An electrode for electric arc welding comprising a mass of metallicelements; a material for producing a protective vapor; and a bindingmaterial holding said elements and vapor producing material together.

CLIFFORD B. LANGSTROTH. EDWIN M. MARTIN.

